Krypton-38
The Krypton of the 38th known reality was a complex and tragic place, always aiming for harmony and peace but always falling short. It is the homeworld of Kara Danvers, Alura Zor-El, Zor-El, Clark Kent, Jor-El, Lara Lor-Van, and Dru-Zod among many others. CULTURE AT LARGE Ancient Krypton was an agrarian and entirely oral culture. Very few archeological evidence remains of it, but the Kryptonians did know their ancestors were hunter-gatherers before “discovering the flames of Rao”. The timeline is split into two: “Before Discovery” (BD) and “After Discovery” (AD). At the time of its destruction in Earth Year 1979, Old Krypton was 100,000 solar cycles old. This only refers to its advanced society and does not factor in Ancient Krypton. Old Krypton existed as three distinct “super-cultures” that informed all of the cities and inhabited continents to some degree: Kandorian, Vathlonian, and Kryptonopolitan. In human terms: Kandor represents the United States of America and Europe, Vathlo represents a melting pot of everything else, and Kryptonopolis represents a perfect unity of those two cultures. Kryptonopolis is the paradise spoken of as the endgame in the Sacred Texts and the ideal several past Ruling Councils have strived toward. Kryptonian morality can be at once simple and complex. Their primary school of philosophical thought resembles what humans might recognize as utilitarianism. The ends justify the means and the entire planet is governed by a singular Ruling Council. On Krypton, human ideas of sociocultural discrimination are simply nonexistent. Kryptonian forms of discrimination run rampant, such as the planet-wide contempt for Daxamites. Kryptonian ideas of “ethnicity” are centered around a person’s geographical origin as opposed to something like skin color or cultural tradition. Kandor, Kryptonopolis, Vathlo, et cetera. Cultural differences are treated with respect and the appropriate amount of reverence. The concept of “race” is wholly foreign to this collectivist, scientifically-minded planet. The ancestral Kryptonian settlers were heterogeneous so it never really came up. They understand that “race” is a social construct that anthropologically doesn’t exist. Kryptonians have two major ethnic groups: Kandorians and Vathlonians (named for the two original settlements of Kandor and Vathlo). Each has its own separate culture down to its sociopolitical and religious systems. Kandorians are mostly science-oriented with high-tech cities and machines doing everything they cannot. Conversely, the Vathlonians are given to an agrarian-adjacent lifestyle and still follow “the old ways”. The calendar and timetable are divided up this way: * Dendar- minute * Dendaro- minutes * Thrib- second * Thribo- seconds * Wolu- one hour, consists of 100 dendaro * Woluo- hours * Zehtiahr- day * Zehtiahro- days * Fanf- a Kryptonian week (6 days) * Fanfo- weeks * Lorax- 73 days, a Kryptonian month * Loraxo- months * Amzet- year, comprised of 6 loraxo * Amzeto- years (also referred to as one solar cycle) ** Please see Kryptonian.info for additional information. EDUCATION Due to how their brains work and store information, Kryptonians study advanced forms of ethics, arithmetic, history, and psychology from an early age. Academies are generally based around Guilds. There are no “grade” distinctions. “Levels” are used instead and last for two years apiece from ages 4-16. Kryptonians students graduate from their academies at 16. From there, they wait a year until it is time for the Guilding Ceremony. For example, Kara Zor-El was able to test into Level 6 (the equivalent of a high school senior on Earth) at age 13 and was midway through her final preparation for graduation when the planet exploded. VOCATIONAL LIFE- THE GUILDS When a Kryptonian reaches age 17, they are allowed to choose of which Guild they would prefer to be a part. Normally the children select the Guilds of their parents or ancestors; there is very little overlap. Kara’s parents were scientists and Kara was going to be the youngest inductee into the Science Guild at age 15. The Guilds are, in order of societal importance: MEDIATOR, MILITARY, SCIENCE, ARTISAN, and LABOR. The Guilds were formed by what would become the Noble Houses of Nar, Zod, El, Re, and Van. Together, the five Guilds make up the Kryptonian government. * The Mediator Guild is the religious faction and is the oldest, outranking all others if only by seniority. They are reclusive and exclusivist, only inducting the truest of believers or the most ardent of fanatics. When someone is inducted into the Mediator Guild, it is common for their friends and family to never see that individual again. If they do, it is for special occasions such as weddings or births. Otherwise, they remain in the Mediator Citadels studying the Sacred Books of Rao, Cythonna, or Telle. BIOLOGY Kryptonians age slower than humans and can have three different lifespans: Natural. Engineered. Augmented. * A “natural” Kryptonian lifespan refers to one entirely untouched by neither scientific extension nor radiation from foreign suns. A natural Kryptonian lifespan will average 120-127. * Engineered Kryptonians live much longer, 350 years or more. * To say a Kryptonian has become biologically augmented means they live under a non-red sun. These Kryptonians have slightly longer lifespans than usual at 130-140. An engineered Kryptonian on Earth might live up to 2000 years. * Genetically Engineered Kryptonians are designed to be as close to perfect as possible. No physical or mental birth defects or handicaps if they can be helped. Even after centuries, the Genesis Chambers cannot weed out all the genetic factors leading to such things. Life begins as it always does: through reproduction. Contrary to popular belief, Kryptonians are capable of sexual reproduction- though each city has its own Genesis Chamber. The “Chamber hub” is located in Kandor. The primary reason for this is a bioweapon used during the First Clone War, which rendered the majority of Kryptonians incapable of biological breeding except once every three years. The Chambers are the way to circumvent this. * Kandorians reproduce almost exclusively by way of the Genesis Chambers. Few do elect the old-fashioned way. In the upper echelons of Kandorian society, carrying offspring in one’s womb is considered inefficient (and as such is discouraged) but there is no official law against it. Though there is some discrimination and those with negative attitudes call the rare naturally-born Kryptonians “carried”. Kara’s mother Alura and Kal’s mother Lara carried and were those branches of the El family were, for a time, discreetly looked down upon by members of the Science Guild. * The Vathlonians still reproduce sexually, with their Genesis Chambers only being used when a heterosexual couple is infertile (or otherwise having trouble conceiving naturally) OR when a same-sex couple desires a biological child with no outside donor material. Formal adoption, though it does happen, is exceedingly rare and more often than not unheard of. * A typical Kryptonian gestation period lasts for ** 296 ZEHTIAHRO (days) ** 49.3 FANFO (weeks) ** 4 LORAXO (months) ** The Science Guild attributes this to the complexity of the Kryptonian genetic code. RELIGION All Kryptonian faith systems stem from the same polytheism practiced by the ancient Kryptonians, which was then adopted by the settlers. No god was given any importance over the other. They are: * Rao * Cythonna * Reign * Telle * Mordo * Lorra * Valka ** Collectively, they are known as The Seven. * Devotees of each faith are referred to as: ** RAOISTS ** CYTHONNITES ** REIGNISTS ** TELLISTS ** MORDONITES ** LORRISTS ** VALKISTS While Raoism was always the more dominant faith in terms of adherents, on both Old and New Krypton, it became the planet’s official religion with the institution of the Guilds. Cythonnites became a minority while the other faiths found new life with the Vathlonians. Cults such as the Sisters of Juru (fanatics who revere the Worldkiller Prophecy) are denounced by all major faiths. What does Raoism teach? * Universal Salvation * Strive to Understand, Always * Spread the Word of Rao to all sentient species Creation Story At the birth of the universe, all was cold and barren. The Seven wandered the cosmos as shapeless beings of divine energy, in perpetual search of anything. All they found was each other. Rao was the first to mold himself into bipedal form. With his new eyes, he saw the black expanse and the nothingness it entailed and proclaimed that it was not good for the universe to exist in such silence. Later on, the other Six came into bipedal form as well and together they crafted the suns, stars, and planets. The galaxies and solar systems and the pathways to other dimensions. Their favorite Star System was Rao, first-molded and named for the eldest among them. The Rao system is where Krypton and Daxam reside, among others. Even so, they saw all was still amiss. These planets needed to be populated, and so Rao and Cythonna worked together to fashion the sentient species of the universe while Telle and Mordo made the animals. Lorra made plant life. When the first of these creatures perished, Reign tasked herself with ushering these living beings into the Gods’ dwelling place: Rao’s Light. Valka abstained, as she was contemptuous of mortals and saw no point outside of self-aggrandizement for her siblings. The Six would live together in harmony, sometimes fighting as all siblings do, while Valka would estrange herself. She would go on to corrupt those souls initially missed by Reign and fashion them into demons (dokhahsh) to torment the living. Eventually, Valka will rise up and lay claim to the universe. At the end of this conflict with her siblings, they will reconcile and all shall be forgiven. The Worldkiller Prophecy At the very center of Kryptonian end-times writings, contained as the final chapters of the Sacred Texts when all are collected together, is what is known as the WORLDKILLER PROPHECY. This prophecy states: As the known universe is seeing its final days, seven great heroes emerge. These Seven Heroes will be the Champions of the Gods who will do battle with the Worldkillers, powerful beings who serve as the Champions of Entropy. The Gods’ Functions * RAO- God of Fire, now the Top God, provides sustainability and life. Controls the seasons. Co-Patron of the Science Guild. * CYTHONNA- Goddess of Ice, the equal and opposite to Rao. Also controls the seasons. Co-Patron of the Science Guild. * REIGN- death goddess, also presides over truth and absolute justice. Patron of the Ruling Council. * TELLE- God of Wisdom. Patron of the Mediator Guild. Gives reasoning, discernment, and logic. * MORDO- God of Strength, also called “Mordo the Strong”. Patron of the Labor Guild. Provides physical and emotional strength and comfort, and the intuitiveness to use them properly. * LORRA- Goddess of Beauty. Patron of the Artisan Guild. * VALKA- Goddess of War. Patron of the Military Guild and rarely prayed to. Provides strategic insight and the ability to create weaponry. MAJOR CONFLICTS For more information, please see The Krypton/Daxam War, The Krypton/Thanagar War, The First Clone War, The Second Clone War, and The Insurrection of House Zod. * The first of two major interplanetary wars came with the Daxamites during the 40th Century AD. This conflict began so many centuries prior to the destruction of Krypton and the destabilization of the Rao star system that neither side could recall why they fought in the first place. * During the 60th Century AD, Krypton came into conflict with the Thanagarians after several unsuccessful attempts to establish trade routes by the Laborers and spread Raoism by the Mediators, as well as establish a colony there. This war lasted for nine years, from 60147 until 60156. ** These two wars, which greatly exhausted resources and depleted morale, helped to end the Age of Space Exploration and ushered in a general attitude of xenophobia. Kryptonians stayed on-world from then on. * The first significant recorded on-planet war was the First Clone War, which began in AD 87213 and lasted off-and-on until AD 89278. It is also called the TWO-THOUSAND-CYCLES WAR. This war arose due to differing opinions between various sociopolitical factions regarding the personhood of life-extending clones. It ended in a total victory for the forces of the Ruling Council and the maintenance of the laws regarding clones. * The fourth and final major recorded conflict was the Second Clone War, which began in earnest in 96101 before fully igniting in 99970. Ran-Zod (uncle of Dru-Zod), then the head of House Zod and a dangerous anti-Council fanatic, used what he saw as draconian laws concerning clones as a springboard for his coup in 99969. Secretly the commander of the terrorist organization Black Zero, Ran fought long and hard before he was assassinated by his nephew Lor-Zod (son of Dru-Zod) in 99991. His identity was not disclosed to the public until 99995. * Dru-Zod’s famous coup, also known as The Insurrection of House Zod, is not recorded as it began in the final days of Krypton in 100,000 AD. As such, not much in the way of unbiased information is known about it. Category:Locations